Amherst’s Michelle Chamuel runner-up on ‘The Voice’

Amherst resident Michelle Chamuel was named runner-up on “The Voice” finale Tuesday night, coming in second to winner Danielle Bradbery.

Chamuel and Bradbery clutched hands as they awaited the announcement, as did their respective coaches, Usher and Blake Shelton. The Swon Brothers, also coached by Blake Shelton, finished in third place.

Chamuel advanced to the final three last week with Bradbery and The Swon Brothers. The winner was announced by host Carson Daly at the end of the show’s two-hour finale Tuesday night.

On “The Voice,” which just concluded its fourth season, singers from across the country compete while being mentored by music star coaches Adam Levine, Shelton, Usher and Shakira.

Coaches select their team members in the first stage of the competition during a process called “blind auditions,” where they are not allowed to see the artists until they have heard them sing and selected them for their team. Artists are eliminated over the course of the season through the coaches’ judgments and by vote of the audience.

Chamuel stunned judges Adam Levine, Shakira, and Usher during the blind auditions with her performance of “I Kissed A Girl.” Levine was the first to turn his chair around, signaling he wanted to claim her, followed by Shakira. Surprisingly, Usher was the last to turn around, but she ended up choosing him. The only judge who did not try to claim Chamuel was Blake Shelton.

But over the course of the season, Chamuel won constant praise from all four of the judges.

On Tuesday night, the finalists performed with various artists as well as contestants eliminated earlier this season. Chamuel performed “Counting Stars” alongside the song’s original artist, OneRepublic. She and the band’s lead singer, Ryan Tedder, migrated into the audience as they sang to touch the hands of fans.

The finalists also had the chance to invite artists eliminated earlier this season back to perform with them. Chamuel brought back fellow “Team Usher” members Josiah Hawley, Vedo and Cathia to sing Stevie Wonder’s version of “We Can Work It Out,” originally by the Beatles.

At the end of the performance, Usher joined his team onstage and brought them all into a group hug.

“I just want to say thank you so much for being you, and inspiring me to be me as well,” Chamuel said to Usher on Tuesday night’s episode.

Chamuel, 27, moved back to Amherst last year, after having previously lived there during her junior year of high school, when she attended Amherst Regional High School. Before she was invited onto “The Voice” this year following the blind auditions, Chamuel worked at Woodstar Café in Northampton since September 2012.